“The World the Woman Loves” - talk by Father Allan MacDonald C.C - October 14, 2017, Saint Maurice Parish, Ottawa, ON

http://www.companionscross.org/articles-blogs/articles/world-woman-loves

“The World the Woman Loves”

Marian Retreat Day,

St. Maurice Parish,

Ottawa, ON

October 14, 2017

Introduction

“The key to understanding Mary is this – We do not start with Mary – We start with

Christ, the Son of the Living God … The less we think of Him, the less we think of her;

the more we think of Him, the more we think of her – The less we adore His Divinity, the

less reason we have for respecting her …We did not make her different, we found her

different.”

(Fulton Sheen, The World’s First Love, p. 67-68)

Why We Love Mary

i. As Companions of the Cross we have as one of the 4 pillars of our

spirituality a great love of Mary – She is our Mother, given to us by Jesus

Himself as He hung on the Cross = The “First Companion of the Cross”

We pray the Rosary daily and know she is with us as we celebrate the

Eucharist.

ii. My relationship with Mary comes from the example of my father –

depressed for many years – but always prayed the Rosary and trusted in

Mary’s powerful intercession.

He died 19 years ago “alone”, but I know he was not alone because Mary

was there with him – “… pray for us sinners now and at the hour of

our death” – why I always pray for those who will die alone.

iii. My father was 19 years older than my mother – it was easier for me and

my siblings to relate to my mother than to my father – Maybe this has

something to do with my love of Mary (and my mother’s name is Marie)

When we would ask our father for something he would always give us the

same answer – “Go and ask your mother!”

I have always known of Mary’s love for me and her role as an intercessor

in my life.

She got me back on track as a young priest after I first went to Medjugorje

in 1995.

Many of my CC brothers will tell you of how Mary played an important

part in their vocation.

B. Praying for Peace

i. We stand here today in a world torn apart by wars/violence and threats of

wars/violence – Mary calls us to join together in storming heaven for

peace – She has been calling us to this for a long time – Are we listening?

ii. This peace will only come about when we have peace in our own hearts

FIRST = Meditate on Christ, the Prince of Peace = Be quiet and still.

“If we have a box in which we keep our money, we know that one thing

we must always give attention to is to the key … without the key we

cannot get to the money … Mary is the key to Jesus.” (Ibid, p. 77)

iii. Let’s take a look at some of the key appearances of Mary around the world

– some popular/known and other not so – But in all of them she’s been

calling us to conversion to her Son, Jesus – She been warning us too of the

consequences of not doing so.

Various Apparition Sites Around the World – What is Mary Saying to the World?

Lourdes (1858)

i. Mary is a missionary disciple (the preeminent one!) = Calling all of us to

join with her in proclaiming the name of Jesus, calling the world to

repentance (beginning with ourselves), and speaking of God’s universal

call for our lives = To be saints with Him forever in heaven!

Saint Bernadette’s encounters with Our Lady began on Thursday February 11,

1858 – when Bernadette was 14 years old – 

you can read for yourself the whole story of the 18 apparitions of Mary to Bernadette.

 ii. Mary’s messages to Bernadette are ageless and apply to all of us today – both

because of where they were given and their content:

First, “Where” = Mary appeared in the Grotto at Massabielle = A dirty,

hidden, damp and cold place - Called the "pigs' shelter" because that was

where the pigs feeding in the area usually took shelter.

The Virgin Mary – “The Immaculate Conception” (she revealed herself to

Bernadette by this title) – appears dressed in white, a sign of total purity.

The “where” of this apparition reminds us of the Gospel: the meeting of the

wealth and goodness of God with the poverty of the human person.

Where do I meet God? – In my poverty (God’s grace is like water, it settles at

the lowest place)

God is not afraid, embarrassed or uncomfortable to join us where we are

In the midst of our poverty and failures.

He sends Mary to the “sheep shelter” to tell us that he loves us - 
This is the heart of the Message of Lourdes = He loves us as we are = With our successes but also with our wounds, our weaknesses and our limitations.

He meets us where we are so He can take to where He wishes us to be!

iii. We serve a God who wishes to relate to us a person = 3 of Mary’s words to

Bernadette:

"What I have to say to you does not have to be written down"

Mary speaks to us at the level of the heart = The very centre of the person =

Bernadette was invited to open the depths of her heart to this Message of Love

= Words that strike the heart are always remembered – They do not need to be

written down.

"Would you do me the kindness of coming here for 15 days?"

The first time anyone had addressed Bernadette in a formal way - The Virgin

looked at her as one person looks at another person = Bernadette felt that she

was being respected and loved = We are all worthy of our dignity in the eyes

of God - Because each of us is loved by God.

"Go to the spring, drink of it and wash yourself there"

Mary asked Bernadette to scrape the ground, at the back of this "pigs’ shelter"

- At first this water is muddy and dirty then, little by little, it becomes clear.

The mystery of the heart of Jesus is revealed for us:

The grass and the mud signify the human heart, wounded by sin - But in the

bottom of this heart, there is the life of God, as signified by the spring = Are

we willing to dig away the grass and the mud surrounding our hearts to

 discover God’s grace?

Our Lady of Knock (1879)

This visitation of Mary is best understood in the context of a Scripture passage:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my

yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find

rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

i. On the evening of August 21, 1879 two women from the village of Knock

were walking back to their home in the rain when they passed by the back of

the village church - It was then that they saw the apparition.

But first, what was the historical context?

The years preceding the apparitions were the most tragic years in the history

of Ireland = Famine and unimagined misery engulfed the entire Catholic

country - Priests often anointed as many as 40 parishioners a day as they faced

death - The magnitude of such suffering was unimaginable.

In 1879, the potato crop was threatened once again – Land rents rose - Money

was borrowed - Evictions occurred daily - People became desperate.

The pastor of Knock had begun a series of 100 consecutive Masses for the

repose of the souls of those who had died.

Mary's apparition took place on the evening of the day when the 100th

Mass was celebrated = August 21, 1879.

It was into this time of sorrow and distress that our Lady came, but not alone.

Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared at the South gable

of the church.

ii. It is recorded that Mary said nothing at all during these apparitions – She

came to be with the people in their hour of need.

In the midst of Ireland's agony, the mother of the Lord came to her

people to be with them, to be present to them, to share their fate in

silence.

My first pastor gave me some good advice = “Allan, at the end of the day,

people may not remember the things you said … but they will remember that

you were there.” = “Father came to the house … the hospital … the funeral

home.”

iii. Mary comes again to be with us – To comfort us and to strengthen us in our

times of trial, weakness and distress – She is the Queen of Peace and wants to

be bring us to Christ so we can experience His peace.

Fatima (1917)

i. The story begins in the village of Fatima, Portugal, on May 13, 1917 –

Mary appeared to three young children (note the appearance of Mary to

children): Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia; ages 10, 9 and 7 – You can read

for yourself the details of the apparitions of Mary from May through

October 1917 (save August, when imprisonment by the anti-clerical

authorities prevented it),

Mary promised that God would grant peace to the entire world if Her

three requests were heard and obeyed.

a. Prayer

She announced herself = “I am the Lady of the Rosary. Pray the

Rosary every day.”

She also asked for prayers for the Holy Father = “the Bishop

clothed in white” – The children saw a vision of him making his

way with great difficulty towards the Cross amid the corpses of

those who were martyred - He too falls to the ground, apparently

dead, under a hail of gunfire.

[It is possible that the vision predicted the 1981 attack on Pope

John Paul II’s life. The Pope has always credited the Virgin for his

survival.]

b. Reparation

The children were shown a frightening vision of hell, “where the

souls of poor sinners go” – Mary asked for acts of prayer and

sacrifice to save souls, with particular emphasis on devotion to the

 

Immaculate Heart of Mary.

c. Consecration

Mary spoke of the immense damage that Russia would do to

humanity by abandoning the Christian faith and embracing

Communists’ totalitarianism.

Our Lady asked that Russia be consecrated to her Immaculate

Heart so its errors and evils would not spread throughout the

world.

ii. Mary visited the children for the last time on October 13, 1917 –

She had promised a sign that would convince the world she had

appeared = We know this as the “miracle of the Sun” (you can

read more about it yourself) = Every single person who was

there testified to seeing the sun dance - Non- believers dropped

onto their knees and begged for forgiveness.

= Their eyes of their hearts were opened to “see” their need for

God’s mercy!

iii. Our Lady of Fatima promised that the world would be in peace,

and many souls would go to Heaven if Her requests were listened

to and obeyed.

At Lourdes Mary reminds us that we are all sinners in need of

God’s mercy and forgiveness – God comes to us where we are

and invites us to drink of the fountain of His mercy where we find

healing and strength.

At Fatima we hear the anguished appeal of our Heavenly Mother

= She sees us in great danger and comes to offer us Her help and

advice.

Mary loves us and calls us to return to Her Son.

Are we willing to let Jesus show us our spiritual blindness?

How? = Let us call out to Jesus for mercy with the words that we learned

in Fatima:

“Oh my, Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead

all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy. Amen.”

Another prayer is the one taught to the children by the angel who appeared

to them in 1916 ahead of Mary’s apparition – A prayer we can say in

reparation = Ask for assistance for ourselves and our contemporaries who

need grace to convert and change:

"My God I believe, I adore, I hope and I love you. I ask pardon of you for

those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love you."

(3X)

Our Lady of Akita (1973

 i. This apparition of Mary involves Sister Agnes Sasagawa of the Handmaids of

the Eucharist in Akita, Japan.

Sister Agnes had a great love for Jesus in the Eucharist - When she went to

visit Jesus in the Tabernacle, it was just Him and her = She could hear Him,

not with her ears, but with her heart – Sister Agnes was deaf

She told him all that was in her heart – Then she remained silent, while He spoke

to her On Tuesday, June 26, 1973 the Lord had a special plan for her = 

He was to bestow upon her a blessing which would remain with her for the rest of her

life.

ii. In her own words, Sister Agnes tells us:

"When I approached to open the Tabernacle...an overwhelming, unknown light

suddenly shone forth. Seized with emotion, I prostrated myself immediately with

my face to the floor...I remained perhaps an hour in this position, subjugated by a

power which overwhelmed me."

The next day, she went towards the Tabernacle, her heart pounding, and again,

was overcome by a great light, which blinded her.

She immediately went down on her knees and prostrated herself before the

Tabernacle.

Stigmata

On Thursday, June 28 = Eve of the Feast of the Sacred Heart - Sister Agnes felt

 as though something pierced the palm of her left hand = In the centre of her palm,

were two red scratches in the form of a cross.

This phenomenon lasted the whole month of July = On Thursday evenings, the

wound began to swell up - On Friday mornings, blood flowed - On Saturday

mornings, the wound stopped bleeding and became dry again.

On July 6, her Guardian Angel appeared to Sister Agnes, and said:

“Do not fear - I am the one who is with you and watches over you - Pray with

fervour not only because of your sins, but in reparation for those of the whole

world.

“The world today wounds the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord by its ingratitude

and injuries - The wounds of Mary are much deeper and sorrowful than yours -

Let us go and pray together in the chapel.”

iii. The Statue of Mary

It was there the statue of Mary became alive = Over the course of a few years it

spoke and shed tears & blood.

A voice of indescribable beauty struck Sister’s totally-deaf ears.

This statue, from which the voice came, wept 101 times over a course of several

years, from January 4, 1975, to September 15, 1981, the Feast of Our Lady of

 Seven Sorrows.

Unlike other cases the entire nation of Japan was able to view the tears of the

statue of the Virgin Mary on national television.

It also perspired abundantly, sending out a sweet perfume.

Sister Agnes reported that she heard the statue calling her and giving her

messages for the whole world.

iii. Three Messages of Akita:

The First Message “Spoken” to Sister Agnes

“My daughter, my novice, you have obeyed Me well in abandoning all to follow

Me - Is the infirmity of your ears painful? - Your deafness will be healed, be sure

- Be patient - It is the last trial - Does the wound of your hand cause you to suffer?

Pray in reparation for the sins of men.”

The Second Message “Spoken” to Sister Agnes

On August 3, 1973, the First Friday of the month, Sister Agnes received the

second Message from Mary:

“Many men in this world afflict the Lord - I desire souls to console Him.

“The Heavenly Father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement on all mankind -

With My Son, I have intervened so many times to appease the wrath of the Father

- I have prevented the coming of calamities by offering Him the sufferings of the

Son on the Cross - His Precious Blood, and beloved souls who console Him and

form a cohort of victim souls.

“Prayer, penance, and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father's anger.

“Be faithful and fervent in prayer to console the Master.”

The Third Message “Spoken” to Sister Agnes

It was on Saturday, October 13th = The anniversary day of the last Apparition of

the Virgin Mary to the three children of Fatima = the most important and

serious one:

“If men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible

punishment on all humanity - It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such

as one will never have seen before - Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a

great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor

faithful.

“The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The

only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My

Son. “Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the

Pope, the Bishops and the priests.

“The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one

will see Cardinals opposing Cardinals, Bishops against other Bishops. The priests

who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by other priests.

“Churches and altars will be sacked. The Church will be full of those who accept

compromises, and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to

leave the service of the Lord.

“The demon will be especially ruthless against the souls consecrated to God. The

thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness.

“...Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. Those who place their

confidence in me will be saved.”

On the last Sunday of May, 1982, during the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament,

Sister Agnes was completely cured from her deafness.

At Akita Our Lady stressed the importance of

a. Praying the Rosary

b. Accepting from God whatever He may send in the course of each day

c. Offer it up in reparation for so many sins committed throughout the

world at this time.

Our Lady begged especially for prayers for bishops, priests, and religious, and for

reparation before the Blessed Sacrament that they be strong and not “sifted

like wheat” (G).

The impending chastisement can be averted if enough people pray the Rosary

daily and do penance which Our Lady requested at Fatima in 1917.

Akita is really a repeat of the Messages of Fatima.

Our Lady of Kibeho (1981)

The Message of Kibeho:

 1. An urgent call to repentance and to the conversion of hearts: “Repent, repent,

 repent! … Convert your heart while there is still time.”

2. A diagnosis of the moral state of the world: “The world is very unwell.” 
“The world races to its loss, it risks falling into the abyss, which means it will be

immersed in innumerable and unceasing tragedies. The world is in rebellion

against God. Too many sins are committed in it. There is neither love nor peace.”

“If you don’t repent and don’t convert your hearts, you will all fall into the

abyss.”

3. “The door was opened and you did not enter”.

 The apparitions begin in 1981 – 13 years before the genocide in Rwanda of 1994 when 1

million people were killed over a one hundred day period. – in a small rural village of

Kibeho.

Mary appeared first to 16 year old Alphonsine – She described Mary as, “Imagine how

much you mother loves you, and then multiply that love a million times – the lady loves

us a million times more than that.”

Mary then began to appear to Anathalie Mary, the most popular student in the school,

then to 23 year old Marie-Claire (who challenged Mary to a fist fight when she appeared

and called Marie-Claire by name).

Mary’s message to the girls was:

- Love God

- Be kind to one another.

- Read the Bible

- Follow God’s commandments

- Accept the love of Christ

- Repent of sin

- Be humble

- Seek and offer forgiveness.

- Live with a clear and open heart and clear conscience.

- Pray the Rosary daily.

Most significant day – August 15, 1982 – Mary was full of grief and crying unconsolably

– Few people were responding to her messages.

The visionaries were given a glimpse of what was to come to Rwanda – They saw rivers

of blood & dead bodies (too many to be counted)

Most people refused to soften their hearts – 12 years after the warning was given,

Rwanda experienced one of the worst genocides ever – the Hutus took up machetes and

slaughtered Tutsis.

In 2001 (after 20 years of rigorous investigation) the Church officially approved the

apparitions of Kibeho as “worthy of belief”.

Kibeho is the one and only Marian apparition site in Africa that has Vatican

approval.

What does our Lady say to us through Kibeho?

- We need to examine our hearts to see if there is any anger, resentment, self pity

that needs to be rooted out.

God wants to heal our hearts! Will we let Him?

Medjugorje (1981 – present?)

i. Here I speak of the alleged apparitions of our Blessed Mother in Medjugorje

= I say “alleged” because they are still under investigation = They have not

been declared by the Vatican to be “worthy of belief”

As Catholics, we are free to go there – and can expect to receive spiritual

support while there.

In March, 2010, the Vatican confirmed that a Commission has been

established to investigate Medjugorje, under the direct supervision of the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

This constitutes the first time in Church history wherein the highest office of

the Holy See will investigate an ongoing apparition site.

Normally, it is custom for Church authorities to wait until the reported

supernatural phenomenon concludes before passing judgment on the matter.

With this exception Vatican officials are recognizing what a significant and

serious event Medjugorje is for the faithful on a global scale.

ii. On June 24th, 1981 this village was illuminated by a light seeming to come

from above a nearby mountain - Two teenage girls, Mirjana Dragicevic from

Sarajevo and her friend Ivanka Ivankovic from Mostar, saw what they

described as a "beautiful woman holding a child surrounded by a brilliant

white light" - As time progressed Mary appeared not only to Mirjana and

Ivanka, but also to four other children: Jakov, Ivan, Vicka, and Marija.

iii. In the visions, Mary is said to convey messages to us that can be summarized

into nine basic themes:

1. God is revealing himself to man in order to help man prepare for the coming

days.

2. Faith: Without it, it is impossible to please God as you cannot love Him if you

do not believe.

3. Love God as love is the power behind our faith.

4. Convert: Give your heart to God.

5. Reconcile: Reconciliation is the way to open your heart to God's love.

6. Pray: Through prayer you will come to know the greatest joy and the way out

of every situation that seemingly has no way out.

7. Fast: Fasting brings union of thought, spirit and body.

8. Acceptance: Accept the will of God to bring you clarity of soul and peace in

your heart.

9. Peace: Peace in our hearts, peace in our family, peace in our community and

finally peace in our world

Since 1981 between 20 and 30 million people of all races and creeds have visited

this alleged apparition sight to decide for themselves.

The message of Medjugorje is a call to Conversion, back to God.

Our Lady's purpose for coming to earth is to guide each one of us back to her Son

Jesus.

The time for decision is NOW!!. Our Lady's call is URGENT!!.

Conclusion

Our Lady’s Main Message throughout the World

i. Our Lady's mission (wherever her appearances have been declared as “worthy of

belief”) is one of peace and love.

ii. She comes to earth to re-educate us and to help us convert and center our lives

back to God. Our Lady's role has always been one of guiding people to Her Son,

Jesus.

iii. What an amazing opportunity we have before us! It is important that we

understand both the magnitude and the urgency of Our Lady's call to conversion,

and that we respond with all our hearts.

Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima, Good Shepherd Parish, Ottawa ON

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima

and the 6th Anniversary

of the Ordination of Father Hezuk Shroff to the Priesthood

 

With Holy Mass and Consecration to Mary
 ( text of Consecration below )

at the Good Shepherd Parish in Blackburn Hamlet

 

Mother Mary Bernadette led us in the prayers of the rosary before mass

 

A beautiful reception followed which was hosted by the Parish

and the Queenship of Mary Community

 

Act of Consecration to Jesus through Mary

from St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s “Total Consecration”

          O Eternal and Incarnate Wisdom! O sweetest and most adorable Jesus! True God and true man, only Son of the Eternal Father, and of Mary, always virgin! I adore Thee profoundly in the bosom and splendours of Thy Father during eternity; and I adore Thee also in the virginal bosom of Mary, Thy most worthy Mother, in the time of Thine incarnation.

          I give Thee thanks for that Thou hast annihilated Thyself, taking the form of a slave in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify Thee for that Thou hast been pleased to submit Thyself to Mary, Thy holy Mother, in all things, in order to make me Thy faithful slave through her. But, alas! Ungrateful and faithless as I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to Thee in my Baptism; I have not fulfilled my obligations; I do not deserve to be called Thy child, nor yet Thy slave; and as there is nothing in me which does not merit Thine anger and Thy repulse, I dare not come by myself before Thy most holy and august Majesty. It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Thy most holy Mother, whom Thou hast given me for a mediatrix with Thee. It is through her that I hope to obtain of Thee contrition, the pardon of my sins, and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom.

          Hail, then, O immaculate Mary, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by angels and by men! Hail, O Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God. Hail, O sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails no one. Hear the desires which I have of the Divine Wisdom; and for that end receive the vows and offerings which in my lowliness I present to thee.

          I, ________________, a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. In the presence of all the heavenly court I choose thee this day for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity.

 

          Receive, O benignant Virgin, this little offering of my slavery, in honour of, and in union with, that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to thy maternity; in homage to the power which both of you have over this poor sinner, and in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favored thee. I declare that I wish henceforth, as thy true slave, to seek thy honor and to obey thee in all things.

          O admirable Mother, present me to thy dear Son as His eternal slave, so that as He has redeemed me by thee, by thee He may receive me! O Mother of mercy, grant me the grace to obtain the true Wisdom of God; and for that end receive me among those whom thou lovest and teachest, whom thou leadest, nourishest and protectest as thy children and thy slaves.

          O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple, imitator and slave of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ thy Son, that I may attain, by thine intercession and by thine example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. Amen.

---

Short video clips

 

 

Ave Maria - Solo

Video of Homily -
Father Shroff

 

Text of homily

Today is exactly 100 years, to the day, when a miraculous series of events began to take place at Fatima in Portugal. Fatima is situated in the municipality of Ourem. Both the names Fatima and Ourem were given to this region because of a popular legend concerning the Christian re-conquest of Portugal.

          Portugal was under attack by the Muslims — as was much of Europe. The Muslims of Northern Africa, known as the Moors, had passed into southern Europe, with the attempt to convert Catholic Europe to Islam. According to a popular story (which some say is a legend), during one such attack, a Moorish princess, by the name of Fatima (which is an Arabic word meaning “captivating” or “enchanting”)…this Muslim princess was captured by a Catholic Knight, Gonçalo Hermigues, and fell in love with him. She later converted from Islam to Christianity, and was baptized and given the Christian name Oureana. This is where the municipality of Ourem gets its name, and the parish therein was given the name Fatima in honour of this famous convert. The parish of Fatima was officially founded in the year 1568. For centuries, most of the parishioners of Fatima were sheepherders. Their main work consisted in two things: (1) allowing their flock to graze, and (2) practising subsistent farming. Thus the three young children (Lucia (10), Francisco (9), and Jacintha (7)) were all employed in watching over their parents’ flock of sheep when the apparitions at Fatima first took place.

          It was May 13, 1917. One hundred years to this very day, the children were pasturing their parents’ flock as usual at the Cova da Iria, a little over a kilometre from their homes. They were playing games as their flock pastured, when suddenly they beheld a bright light piercing through the sky. They described it as a sudden flash of lightning. The sun was bright in the sky; there was no wind and no sign of a storm at hand. Nevertheless, the children decided to head homeward. As they began to descend the hill, another flash of lightning took them by surprise. They began to panic. Then, all of a sudden, standing over the foliage of an oak tree, they saw a dazzling sight: a Lady dressed in a white mantle edged with gold. From her, there emanated rays of clear and intense light, just like a crystal goblet full of pure water when the fiery sun passes through it. She was not the light, but the light passed through her. She was so close to them that they could almost touch her: only a metre or two away. Because the children were afraid, the Lady reassured them gently: “Do not be afraid of me,” she said, “I will do you no harm.” Lucia asked, “Where are you from?” As she asked this question, the three children saw the brilliant Rosary in her hands: the crystal beads shone like stars in the sky, and the Crucifix was the most radiant gem of all. “What do you want of me?” Lucia asked. “I want you to return here on the 13th of each month for the next six months,” the Lady said, “and at the very same hour. Later I shall tell you who I am, and what it is that I most desire. And I shall return here yet a seventh time.” Lucia then got the courage to ask her a very bold question: “Will I go to Heaven one day?” “Yes, you will.” “And Jacintha?” “Yes, she will too.” “And Francisco?” Our Lady replied, with a hint of sadness in her eyes, “Francisco too, my dear. But he will first have to pray many Rosaries.” “Is Maria Neves in Heaven?” Lucia asked. “Yes, she is.” And Amelia?” Lucia pursued her questioning. To which Our Lady replied, “She is in Purgatory.” The Lady then made a request to the children: “Will you offer yourselves to God, and bear all the sufferings He sends you, in atonement for all the sins that offend Him, and for the conversion of sinners?” “Oh yes,” Lucia cried out, “We will! We will!” Our Lady replied, “Then you will have a great deal to suffer, but the grace of God will be with you and will strengthen you.”

          Lucia then recounts the following (and these are her words) [quote]: “As the Lady pronounced these words, she opened her hands, and we were bathed in a heavenly light that appeared to come directly from her hands. The rays of light cut into our hearts and our souls, and we knew somehow that this light was God, and we could see ourselves embraced in it. By an interior impulse of grace we fell to our knees, repeating in our hearts: "O, Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee. My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament.” [end quote]

          After this, the children remained kneeling, as they bathed in that grace-filled light. Then Our Lady spoke again, about the war that was ravaging Europe [World War I]; and finally she ended with these words, “Pray the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to the war.” Lucia then recounted, “After that, the Lady began to rise slowly in the direction of the east, until she disappeared in the immense distance. The light that encircled Her seemed to make a way amidst the stars, and that is why we sometimes said that we had seen the heavens open.”

          The days that followed this first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima on May 13, 1917 (exactly 100 years ago today) were filled with great excitement. Lucia had cautioned the other children to keep their visitor a secret, correctly perceiving the difficulties they would experience if the events were to become known. However, the joy of 7-year-old Jacinta could not be contained, and she promptly forgot her promise and revealed everything to her mother, who patiently listened but gave it little credence. Her brothers and sisters piped in with their questions and jokes. Only her father, “Ti Marto,” immediately accepted the story as true. He believed in the honesty of his children, and he had a simple appreciation of the workings of God, such that he became the first believer in the apparitions of Fatima. They say that women are often more religiously inclined than men, and thus believe more easily in alleged apparitions and supernatural phenomena. But in this case, it was Jacintha’s father whose simple and humble faith led him to believe in Our Lady of Fatima.

          Lucia's mother, on the other hand, when she heard what had transpired, believed her daughter to be the instigator of a fraud, if not a blasphemy. Lucia would quickly learn what the Lady meant when she said they would suffer a great deal for her. For in those next few weeks, the word would spread around Fatima and the surrounding area, and the little children would indeed suffer a great deal because of that first apparition.

          As you know, Our Lady appeared to the three children at Fatima on the 13th of every month, from May to October, as she had promised. The only exception was in August. Since the children were locked up in prison, Our Lady appeared to them at the Cova da Iria only later, once they had been released: on August 19. In the June 13 apparition, Our Lady taught the children to pray the Fatima Prayer, the one that we all know so well because we pray it at the end of every decade of the Holy Rosary. She told them as well that many souls are perishing in Hell, and that, in order to save them, Her Son, Jesus, wanted to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart. The third apparition, on July 13, would be the most controversial one. At that time, Our Lady showed the children an ominous vision of Hell, as a reminder to all that Hell is real. It is at this apparition that she also asked for the Holy Father to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart, and gave to Lucia the famous Third Secret that was supposed to be revealed in 1960. It was also at the July 13 apparition that Our Lady promised to perform a great miracle in October, so that many might see and believe, and turn back to God. At this July 13 apparition, Our Lady asked the children to do penance and make reparation for sins. To this effect, she taught them this prayer: “O my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of poor sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

          Since the children were in prison on August 13, the August apparition was delayed until August 19. On that day, once again, Our Lady appeared at the Cova da Iria. She mentioned for the first time that a chapel was to be built there in her honour. She also renewed her request to the children to pray and make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. “Many sinners go to Hell,” she said, “because no one is willing to aid them with their sacrifices.”

          The September 13 apparition was a short one. Despite the jeers of the atheist and communist government officials, more than 30,000 people gathered at the Cova when Our Lady appeared. She renewed her request to pray the Rosary daily for an end to the war, and she announced a very special appearance on October 13. “In October,” she said, “Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world.”

          And finally, the last apparition took place on October 13 as the Blessed Virgin said it would. Our Lady repeated her request for the building of a chapel, for the daily recitation of the Rosary, and said, “I am the Lady of the Rosary.” The famous miracle promised by Our Blessed Mother then took place: the miracle of the spinning sun. It is well documented that the crowd that witnessed the miracle numbered around 70,000.

          In my homily, I focused mainly on the first apparition in May 1917 since we celebrate the 100th anniversary of that apparition today. Every month, on the 13th day of the month, a different parish in the Archdiocese of Ottawa will have a time of prayer of the Rosary and a talk on the apparition of that month, with this statue of Our Lady of Fatima being present. (By the way, I mentioned to some of you that this statue was blessed by Pope Paul VI. I was mistaken. It was actually blessed by Pope St. John Paul II). And so I invite you, dear brothers and sisters, to make this six-month pilgrimage, from the 13th of May through to the 13th of October,  through the various parishes of our diocese, with great fervour and joy! On the 13th of October, we will have a beautiful procession with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima from Immaculata High School to Notre-Dame Cathedral and there, the Archbishop will offer a Solemn Mass to close the centenary of Our Lady of Fatima.

          The message of Fatima is really very simple. It does not take a rocket scientist to hear and carry out the requests made by Our Lady one hundred years ago — requests that are still as pertinent today as they were when they were first made. Pray the Rosary daily. Pray it for the restoration of peace in the world. There is no prayer that is more pleasing to the Blessed Virgin, or that brings more graces into the world. The Rosary is second only to the Mass and the Divine Office of the Church in terms of its power to sanctify and transform lives. Secondly, do acts of penance for sinners. Make amends or reparation for sin: the sins of others, who are hardened in their hearts and turned away from God, but also for our own sins. Accept your crosses and sufferings as penance, and embrace them out of love for God and for the conversion of the world. Strive to live a life of holiness, and to avoid all sin (including venial sin) at all costs. As the Angel said to the children when he appeared to them in 1916, before the apparitions of Our Lady [quote]: “Offer up everything in your power as a sacrifice to the Lord in reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners . . . More than all else, accept and bear with resignation the sufferings that God may send you.” Thus, the daily prayer of the Rosary, the acceptance of sacrifices and sufferings in reparation for sin: and then the third part of the message of Fatima: practise devotion towards the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This devotion includes, among other things, the practice of the First Saturdays: on Five Consecutive First Saturdays of the month, go to Confession, receive Holy Communion, pray 5 decades of the Holy Rosary, and keep company with Our Lady for at least 15 minutes by meditating on the 15 mysteries of the Holy Rosary. And do all of this with the intention of making reparation for the sins committed against Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.

          The message of Fatima should not just be lived by us, personally, brothers and sisters, but it should also be spread by us to others. Make known the message of Fatima to all those you encounter, and you can be sure that you will have a very special place in the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

          I would also like to mention that the Holy Father has granted particular indulgences during this centenary year of Our Lady of Fatima. One that concerns us in a particular way today is this: a plenary indulgence is granted, under the usual conditions, to the pious faithful who visit with devotion an image or statue of Our Lady of Fatima solemnly displayed for public veneration in any church, oratory or adequate place, during the days of the anniversary of the apparitions (the 13th of each month, from May to October 2017), and who devotedly participate there in any celebration or prayer in honour of the Virgin Mary, pray the Our Father, recite the symbol of faith (Creed) and invoke Our Lady of Fatima.

          And so, the Our Father that we pray at this Mass, and the Creed, will fulfill some of these requirements today. And the Marian Consecration, at the end of Mass, will fulfill the requirement of invoking Our Lady of Fatima.

          Finally, today is my sixth anniversary of ordination to the Holy Priesthood. I was ordained on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. My ordination date was originally supposed to be May 14 (the feast of St. Matthias), but I asked the Archbishop whether he would agree to do the ordination on the 13th instead in honour of Our Lady of Fatima, and he graciously agreed. In the seminary, I had always hoped that I would be ordained on a feast day of Our Lady, and I guess it was Our Lady of Fatima who saw to that. I am offering this Mass as a Mass of thanksgiving to Our Lady for the gift of the Priesthood, and I offer it as well for all the intentions of her Immaculate and Maternal Heart. Since Our Lady asked us to make reparation for sin, I am offering this Mass as well in reparation for all the sins committed against the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus or the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We can make amends for sin through our love. Because love is more powerful than sin. Love conquers sin. That is the message that Jesus taught us on the Cross, and it is also at the heart of the message of Our Lady of Fatima. And so, let us end with that prayer that is so loved by Our Blessed Mother as we pray it with our whole heart in honour of Our Lady of Fatima. Hail, Mary….

---

Photos

---

 

---

---